2023 Chevrolet Colorado Lemon Law Case Study — Colorado
A 2023 Chevrolet Colorado That Spent 71 Consecutive Days at a Second Dealer for a Complete Transmission Disassembly — Clutch Drums Resealed, Fiber Plates Replaced, Valve Body and Worn Regulator Valve Replaced, Adaptive Shift Learn Performed — After the Original Dealer Lacked a Qualified Transmission Technician
Our client purchased a brand-new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado from Turner Automotive, Inc. in Colorado on August 21, 2023, with just 93 miles on the odometer at delivery. Over the next two years, this all-new fifth-generation mid-size pickup — General Motors’ redesigned Colorado featuring a new platform, new powertrain options, and a new 8-speed automatic transmission — would develop a pattern of increasingly serious defects culminating in a 71-day single repair visit at a second authorized Chevrolet dealer for a complete transmission disassembly and internal rebuild.
The case involved four documented warranty repair events totaling 74 cumulative days out of service, spanning a radio screen blackout tied to GM bulletin PIT6018G, a fuel injector flow rate control recall performed at two separate visits (a manufacturer-level admission of a known injection system nonconformity), a violent transmission failure that caused the truck to accelerate on its own and shake violently at a stoplight — with the original authorized dealer acknowledging the problem was internal to the transmission but lacking a qualified transmission technician to perform the repair — and the subsequent 71-day teardown at a second dealer that resealed the 2-3-4-6-8 clutch drum and the 4-5-6-7-8-R clutch drum, replaced fiber clutch plates and reset clutch clearances, replaced the valve body and worn regulator valve, reinstalled and reprogrammed the transmission, and performed adaptive shift learn. A fourth visit for a loose transmission cross member was the final entry in a file that General Motors LLC could not defend under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act’s 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty obligation.
What Went Wrong
- Radio screen blackout — GM bulletin PIT6018G (Visit 1): Client reported the radio screen would randomly black out while music continued to play. Authorized Chevrolet technicians identified GM bulletin PIT6018G as the applicable service reference and performed a radio software update. A GM-issued service bulletin specifying a software update on the 2023 Colorado infotainment system is a manufacturer-level acknowledgment of a documented nonconformity on this generation of the truck’s radio system
- Fuel injector flow rate control recall — performed twice (Visits 1 and 2): A recall for fuel injector flow rate control was completed at both Visit 1 and Visit 2 — the same recall required at two separate service events on the same vehicle. A manufacturer-issued recall is the strongest possible admission of a known nonconformity, and a recall that must be performed again at a subsequent visit raises significant questions about the permanence of the underlying repair
- Violent transmission failure — shaking and unintended acceleration at a stoplight (Visit 2): Client reported that when coming to a stoplight and attempting to accelerate, the truck felt as though it accelerated on its own and shook violently. The client found the issue resolved if the auto start/stop system was disabled. The authorized Chevrolet technician confirmed the problem was internal to the transmission but the dealership lacked a qualified transmission technician and advised the client to seek service at a second dealer. A dealer acknowledging a documented internal transmission failure on a new vehicle while lacking the staff to repair it illustrates the severity of the underlying defect
- 71-day complete transmission disassembly and rebuild at second dealer (Visit 3): The second authorized Chevrolet dealer performed a complete teardown: the transmission was disassembled; the 2-3-4-6-8 clutch drum was resealed; the 4-5-6-7-8-R clutch drum was resealed; fiber clutch plates were replaced and clutch clearances were reset; additional fiber clutch plates were replaced; the valve body and worn regulator valve were replaced; the transmission was reassembled, reinstalled, and reprogrammed; and adaptive shift learn was performed. During the same visit, the client also reported the turn signal shaft would lock in place and fail to return — a separate safety defect resulting in a defective signal switch replacement. A 71-calendar-day single repair visit for a complete internal transmission rebuild on a vehicle less than two years old is a compelling demonstration of nonconformity to Chevrolet’s published powertrain warranty obligations
- Loose transmission cross member bolts causing clunking (Visit 4): Client returned reporting a clunking noise when coming to a stop and when accelerating and decelerating. Technicians found the transmission cross member bolts were loose and causing the clunking. All bolts were tightened. A post-rebuild loose cross member is itself a documented consequence of the prior transmission work — and the client’s third separate complaint involving transmission-related symptoms
Four Warranty Visits, 74 Cumulative Days Out of Service, One 2023 Chevrolet Colorado
Visit 1 — January 9, 2024 (radio blackout + fuel injector recall)
- Client reported the radio screen would randomly black out while music continued to play
- Authorized Chevrolet technicians located GM bulletin PIT6018G related to the concern and performed a radio software update
- A recall for fuel injector flow rate control was also completed during this visit
- Only a promise date of January 9, 2024 was documented in the repair order detail; the exact return date was not recorded
- A GM-issued service bulletin specifying a software update on the 2023 Colorado infotainment system and a manufacturer-issued recall performed at the same visit are each, independently, a manufacturer-level admission of a documented nonconformity on this generation of the truck
Visit 2 — March 19, 2025 (transmission failure + fuel injector recall again)
- Client reported that when coming to a stoplight and attempting to accelerate, the truck felt as though it accelerated on its own and shook violently
- Client discovered the issue resolved if the auto start/stop system was disabled
- Technicians determined the problem was internal to the transmission. The dealership lacked a qualified transmission technician and advised the client to seek service at a different authorized Chevrolet dealer
- A recall for fuel injector flow rate control was completed again — the same recall previously performed at Visit 1, now required a second time on the same vehicle
- Client also complained of a clunking noise when turning left, which technicians could not duplicate
- Only a promise date of March 19, 2025 was documented; the dealer’s referral to a second dealer for transmission repair confirms the severity of the documented internal failure
Visit 3 — March 25 to June 3, 2025 (71 days — complete transmission disassembly and rebuild)
- Client brought the truck to a second authorized Chevrolet dealer for transmission repair after the original dealer was unable to complete service
- Technicians disassembled the transmission and performed a complete internal rebuild:
- The 2-3-4-6-8 clutch drum was resealed; the 4-5-6-7-8-R clutch drum was resealed
- Fiber clutch plates were replaced and clutch clearances were reset; additional fiber clutch plates were replaced
- The valve body and worn regulator valve were replaced
- The transmission was reassembled, reinstalled, and programmed; adaptive shift learn was performed
- During the same visit, client reported the turn signal shaft would lock in place and fail to return to center; the defective signal switch was replaced
- A clunking noise when turning hard left was also reported but could not be duplicated
- A rental vehicle was provided for the duration of the 71-day repair
- This single 71-day visit alone exceeds Colorado’s 30-day out-of-service threshold by more than 2.3x
Visit 4 — August 11, 2025 (1 day — loose transmission cross member bolts)
- Client returned reporting a clunking noise when coming to a stop and when accelerating and decelerating
- Technicians found the transmission cross member bolts were loose and causing the clunking
- All bolts were tightened to resolve the concern
- A post-rebuild loose cross member is a documented consequence of the prior transmission disassembly and reinstallation, and the client’s third separate complaint involving transmission-related symptoms
Why This 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Qualified for Compensation Under Federal Law and Colorado State Law
Colorado’s New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act — codified at Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 42-10-101 et seq. — protects buyers and lessees of new vehicles in Colorado and creates a presumption that a reasonable number of repair attempts have been made if either: (a) the same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its authorized dealer and the nonconformity continues; or (b) the vehicle has been out of service by reason of repair for a cumulative total of 30 or more calendar days. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2310) provides an independent remedy for breach of any written warranty — including Chevrolet’s 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty — regardless of any state-law presumption window, with a fee-shifting provision that requires the manufacturer to pay all attorney fees.
This case presented a strong set of legal factors under both frameworks:
- 71-day single repair visit — 2.37x clearance over any 30-day OOS threshold: Visit 3 alone lasted 71 calendar days at a second authorized Chevrolet dealer for a complete internal transmission rebuild — more than double any 30-day out-of-service statutory threshold. The 74 total cumulative days OOS across all four visits is nearly 2.5x clearance over the 30-day threshold
- Transmission defect clearly within Chevrolet’s 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty: The violent shaking-and-acceleration-at-a-stoplight failure was first documented at Visit 2 (March 2025 — approximately 19 months after August 2023 purchase), well within Chevrolet’s published 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. A complete internal transmission disassembly and rebuild — including clutch drum resealing, fiber plate replacement, valve body and regulator valve replacement, and adaptive shift learn — is a substantial nonconformity to the express written powertrain warranty, creating a federal Magnuson-Moss breach-of-warranty claim against General Motors LLC regardless of any state-law presumption window
- Fuel injector flow rate control recall performed twice as manufacturer-level admission: The same manufacturer-issued recall for fuel injector flow rate control was performed at both Visit 1 and Visit 2. A recall is a manufacturer-level admission of a known nonconformity. A recall that must be repeated at a subsequent visit is itself a documented failure to permanently repair the underlying fuel injection system defect — a compounding manufacturer-level admission under both Colorado state law and federal Magnuson-Moss
- GM bulletin PIT6018G as manufacturer-level admission on the radio system: The Visit 1 radio software update was performed under GM bulletin PIT6018G — a GM-issued service bulletin is itself an acknowledgment by General Motors LLC of a documented nonconformity on the 2023 Colorado infotainment platform
- Original dealer referral to second dealer as documented severity admission: At Visit 2, the original authorized Chevrolet dealer confirmed the problem was internal to the transmission and referred the client to a second dealer because the original dealer lacked a qualified transmission technician. A manufacturer’s authorized service partner acknowledging it cannot repair a documented internal transmission failure on a new vehicle is itself a compelling piece of evidence of nonconformity under both Colorado law and Magnuson-Moss
- Turn signal shaft locking — separate safety defect at Visit 3: The turn signal shaft locking in place and failing to return is a documented federal safety defect (turn signals are among the most critical federally-mandated safety systems on any motor vehicle) that emerged concurrently with the 71-day transmission repair — a second independent nonconformity documented in the same repair event
- Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act — fee-shifting against General Motors LLC: Repeated unsuccessful warranty repairs on the documented transmission defect, the fuel injector recall, and the radio system triggered a federal claim against General Motors LLC under 15 U.S.C. § 2310, which independently provides a remedy for breach of express warranty and shifts attorney fees to the manufacturer — allowing our client to keep the entire $7,500 Cash and Keep settlement separate from legal fees
How Easy Lemon Secured the $7,500 Cash and Keep Settlement
Free Case Evaluation
We reviewed the complete repair history across all four authorized Chevrolet dealer visits and confirmed 74 cumulative days out of service — including a 71-day single visit that required a second authorized dealer to perform a complete transmission disassembly and rebuild. We identified GM bulletin PIT6018G and the dual fuel injector recall events as manufacturer-level admissions, and confirmed the documented transmission defect sat well within Chevrolet’s 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty — establishing the federal Magnuson-Moss breach-of-warranty claim against General Motors LLC.
Documentation & Case Building
Our team compiled every repair order from the original dealer and the second dealer, documented the specific internal transmission components replaced (2-3-4-6-8 and 4-5-6-7-8-R clutch drum reseals, fiber plate replacements, valve body and worn regulator valve replacement, adaptive shift learn), documented GM bulletin PIT6018G and the fuel injector recall performed at two separate visits, and built an airtight timeline showing General Motors LLC’s authorized Chevrolet service network’s failure to permanently resolve the underlying powertrain nonconformity across four documented repair events.
Demand to General Motors LLC
We filed a formal demand against General Motors LLC citing Colorado’s New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act (Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 42-10-101 et seq.) and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2310) — documenting four warranty repair events, 74 cumulative days out of service, a 71-day single transmission teardown, a GM-issued bulletin on the radio system (PIT6018G), a fuel injector flow rate control recall performed at two separate visits, and a turn signal shaft locking safety defect documented concurrently with the transmission rebuild.
$7,500 Cash and Keep Settlement
Easy Lemon successfully negotiated a $7,500 Cash and Keep settlement — General Motors LLC paid our client a $7,500 lump-sum settlement as compensation for the warranty defects, while our client retained ownership of the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado. Our client paid nothing out of pocket for legal representation; GM paid all attorney fees separately under the federal Magnuson-Moss fee-shifting provision.
$7,500 Cash and Keep Settlement Recovered
Key Case Facts
- Vehicle: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado (all-new fifth-generation mid-size pickup with 8-speed automatic transmission)
- Purchased in: Colorado (Turner Automotive, Inc., August 21, 2023)
- Status at purchase: Brand new (purchased new) at an authorized Chevrolet dealership
- Mileage at delivery: 93 miles
- Repair attempts: 4 documented warranty repair events at authorized Chevrolet service partners
- Cumulative days out of service: 74 days — Visit 3 alone (71 days) exceeds Colorado’s 30-day statutory threshold by more than 2.3x
- Single longest visit: 71 calendar days (Visit 3, March 25 to June 3, 2025 — complete transmission disassembly and rebuild at a second authorized dealer)
- Manufacturer admissions anchored to the file: GM service bulletin PIT6018G (radio software update); fuel injector flow rate control recall performed at two separate visits; original dealer acknowledgment of internal transmission failure while lacking the staff to repair it
- Primary defects: Radio screen blackout addressed under GM bulletin PIT6018G; fuel injector flow rate control recall performed at both Visit 1 and Visit 2; violent transmission failure (unintended acceleration and violent shaking at stoplight, internal failure confirmed by original dealer) requiring 71-day complete transmission disassembly and rebuild at a second dealer (clutch drum reseals, fiber plate replacements, valve body and worn regulator valve replacement, adaptive shift learn); turn signal shaft locking (safety defect, signal switch replaced); post-rebuild loose transmission cross member bolts causing clunking
- Manufacturer: General Motors LLC (Chevrolet Colorado and 8-speed automatic transmission)
- Settlement type: Cash and Keep ($7,500) — client retains the vehicle, manufacturer pays compensation under Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 42-10-101 et seq. and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2310)
Results may vary. Prior outcomes do not guarantee a similar result. Each case is unique and depends on its specific facts and applicable law. Attorney advertising. Easy Lemon® by RockPoint Law P.C.
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Attorney on Record
Steven Nassi, Esq.
Managing Partner — Easy Lemon by RockPoint Law P.C.
Licensed attorney specializing exclusively in lemon law across all 50 states. Steven leads the Easy Lemon legal team and has overseen thousands of successful lemon law claims against major manufacturers including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Tesla, Audi, Volkswagen Group of America, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, and low-volume specialty manufacturers including INEOS Automotive Limited, Rivian, Lucid, Polestar, Lotus, Karma, and Vinfast.
Transmission Shaking, Radio Blackout, or Clunking on Your 2023 or 2024 Chevrolet Colorado in Colorado?
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